HISTORIC VICTORY: VA has “ethical obligation” to retire lab animals

As first reported by Connecting Vets and Richmond, VA’s ABC TV affiliate, following pressure from White Coat Waste Project and a bipartisan Congressional coalition, the Department of Veterans Affairs has created the first-ever federal policy promoting the retirement of dogs, cats, primates, rabbits and other animals no longer needed for experiments.

Following my bipartisan request the VA has enacted the 1st federal policy encouraging the adoption of dogs, cats, & other lab animals. Proud to be part of this victory esp. since Nevada was one of the 1st states to pass a lab animal adoption law. https://t.co/sibg7igss0

VA has an ethical obligation to arrange for placement of healthy and socially adjusted animals with suitable adoptive families whenever possible through placement organizations, and fully supports efforts to do so.

The move comes after a WCW exposé documenting that the VA experimented on and killed dogs it told reporters it “adopted out” and Congress urged the VA to create a formal policy allowing dogs to be adopted out from its laboratories and place with veterans. In their letter to the VA last September, Congress members Ted Lieu (D-CA), Dave Brat (R-VA), Dina Titus (D-NV), Dan Donovan (R-NY) and Brian Mast (R-FL) said that “fiscally and morally responsible thing to do.” Until now, chimpanzees were the only species required to be retired at the end of taxpayer-funded experiments.

We’re working to make this standard practice across the federal government. Last week, WCW worked with more than two dozen bipartisan lawmakers to launch a first-ever effort urging all federal agencies to retire dogs, cats and primates at the end of wasteful and cruel government experiments.

Tell Congress to retire lab animals at the end of government experiments. Taxpayers bought these animals, and we want Uncle Sam to #GiveThemBack!

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